A. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of removable protective covers for infant car seats.
B. Prior Art
Infant car seats have become almost universally used, as the public has become aware of the great dangers for infant passengers who are not secured in standard car seats during a crash. Obviously, there are different commercial styles, sizes and qualities of infant car seats, but most share the common structural and functional features of being securable to the car by the car's standard seat belts and having their own set of straps or harness to hold the infant. The many known infant car seats also share the common experience of becoming frequently soiled by infants' spills from food and beverages and by fluids from infants' illnesses and/or body functions.
Protective and decorative covers, both permanent and removable, for these infant car seats are known, each type having its own set of benefits and deficiencies. For example, permanent covers are most difficult to clean since the car seat itself is usually very heavy, bulky and thus awkward to transport. Removable covers, some being form-fitting, may be quite difficult to remove from the car seat due to the arrangements of the car seat belts and the infant seat straps that extend through the fabric of the car seat cover. Of the removable infant car seat covers some are waterproof but not soft and comfortable for an infant to sit on for long periods, some others are soft and comfortable but not waterproof, and some lack an overall softness, absorbency and water impermeability that is currently desired.
C. Prior Art Patents
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,701, 4,891,454 and 4,885,200 disclose disposable infant seat liners formed of a liquid permeable outer layer, an absorbent middle layer and a liquid impermeable inner layer, each having a complex shape including slots and cut-outs. These patents disclose constructions and methods of manufacture of fabric for infant seat liners, but their cost is increased due to the complex shaped panel components.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,098 discloses a generally rectangular child seat liner for an infant high chair using a fabric of permeable, absorbent and impermeable layers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,963 discloses a disposable sanitary seat cover for use with public seat facilities such as shopping carts and high chairs in restaurants.
U.S. Pat. No. D525067 discloses a cover with a hood for a child safety seat showing an outer appearance without disclosure of construction or specific operation.